Air sealable container with automatically actuable pressure equalizing valve

ABSTRACT

An air sealable and preferably air and water sealable container having an automatically actuable pressure equalizing valve primarily adapted for operation upon opening and closing of the container. The pressure equalizing valve, which is in the nature of a pressure relief valve, is automatically actuable to allow air pressure in the container to equalize with an ambient pressure to enable easy opening of a lid of the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates in general to certain new and usefulimprovements in hand engageable carrying containers which are providedwith an automatically actuable valve capable of equalizing pressure onthe inside of the container with respect to an exterior ambient pressureupon opening a member forming part of the container.

[0003] 2. Brief Description of Related Art

[0004] Conventional carrying cases such as briefcases, satchels, pursesand the like which are not fluid sealed have no need for any type ofpressure relief valve or pressure equalizing valve. Generally, theinterior of these types of containers will assume the same pressurewhich exists as the ambient exterior pressure.

[0005] In many carrying cases, and particularly those which are fluidsealed, such as air sealed, or even more so, air sealed and watersealed, a pressure differential can exist between the interior and theexterior of the container. As a simple example, if a container is closedand in a city which has a relatively high altitude with lower ambientpressure, and then transported to a city having a much lower altitudeand higher ambient pressure, a substantial vacuum will exist on theinterior of the container. Thus, one who attempts to open the containermay not be able to do so because of the force on the lid of thecontainer created by the vacuum in that container.

[0006] There are many commercially available hand engageable carryingcontainers which are used in differing environments and thereforerequire some means to vent the interior of the container, or to at leastexpose the interior of the container to the ambient atmosphericpressure. Generally, all of the commercially available containers ofthis type which employ a fluid tight seal between the lid and the baseof the container also provide some form of manually actuable valve.Generally, this manually actuable valve will adopt the form of a simplevalve mechanism built into the side of the case or the lid, and whichpermits turning or moving of a handle to open or close the valve. Thus,when the handle is moved as for example, by the rotation in onedirection the valve will open, and when rotated in the oppositedirection the valve will close.

[0007] While these conventional manually actuable valves may constitutean effective means to vent the interior of a carrying case to theexternal ambient atmosphere, they nevertheless require the manualintervention of the user. One of the main problems which exists is thatthe user will frequently open the valve and forget to close the valvethereafter. If the container is introduced into another environment inwhich it must be fluid sealed, as for example, in an underwaterenvironment, the valve in the open position will permit introduction ofwater into the interior of the container. This introduction of watercould seriously damage the contents carried on the interior of thecontainer.

[0008] Another one of the drawbacks of these manually actuable valves isthe fact that they are usually of a relatively simple and concomitantlylow cost construction. This is due to the fact that any expensive valvemechanism would materially add to the overall cost of the container andwould not be commercially feasible. Frequently, after a period of use,these valves will break or wear out with no convenient means ofrepairing same. Thus, the entire carrying case, which can be amoderately expensive item, must then be discarded.

[0009] It would be desirable to provide a carrying case which has anautomatically actuable valve which actuates upon opening or closing ofthe carrying case. It would also be desirable to provide a valve of thistype which is relatively simple in construction and which is not capableof readily wearing out after limited use thereof.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the presentinvention to provide a carrying case which is capable of being fluidsealed and which includes a valve which is automatically actuable uponmoving a movable member on that carrying case.

[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide acarrying case of the type stated in which the automatically actuablevalve can be constructed into or form a part of a movable lid or lockmechanism on the carrying case, and which does not require the need ofmanual actuation by a user.

[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acarrying case of the type stated which is provided with an automaticallyactuable valve of the type utilizing an opening in the case, and whichis automatically sealable upon shifting a lid or latch on the case to aclosed position.

[0013] It is an additional object of the present invention to provide acarrying case of the type stated which can be constructed with anautomatically actuable valve at a relatively low cost, and which issimple in operation but highly effective in use.

[0014] It is another salient object of the present invention to providea method of allowing for pressure equalization between an interior of acarrying case and an exterior ambient atmosphere with respect to thatcarrying case, and which automatically allows for such pressureequalization upon moving a portion of the carrying case.

[0015] It is still a further object of the present invention to providea method of the type stated which automatically allows for venting ofthe interior of the carrying case to allow easy opening thereof,regardless of the pressure differential which may exist across thatcarrying case.

[0016] With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides inthe novel features of form, construction, arrangement and combination ofparts and components presently described and pointed out in the claims.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention relates to a container which is capable ofbeing air sealed and preferably air sealed and water sealed. Moreover,this container is provided with an automatically actuable valve meansforming part of or associated with the container and which automaticallyallows for equalization of any pressure differential across the interiorof the container and the external ambient atmosphere, all in a manner ashereinafter described in more detail.

[0018] The container of the present invention generally includes acontainer base having a closure which forms an interior compartment. Alid is closeable and openable with respect to the container base, andwhen the lid is shifted to the closed position, the container iscompletely sealed with respect to the external ambient atmosphere. Asindicated, for a fluid tight container, the container is both water andair sealed when the lid or other closure member is moved to a closedposition.

[0019] In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the containerhas a lid which is hingeably mounted over the base. Thus, the lid can beraised about its hinges to open the container and can be shifted to aclosed position with respect to the container. Generally, an upper lipon the periphery of the container base mates with a correspondingportion on the lid to create a fluid tight seal between the two when thelid is moved to the closed position. The seal is even further amplifiedwhen the lid is locked in this closed position to the container base, asfor example, by latches on the container or the like. For this purpose,any form of locking means is typically employed.

[0020] In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention,latches are provided on the lid and are engageable with hooks on thebase when the latches are shifted to a locked position. Thus, when thelid is moved to a closed position the latches can be shifted to theirlocked position and thereby retentively hold the lid on the containerbase in this locked position.

[0021] Although this type of construction is conventional, the prior artrelied upon a manually actuable valve which was usually constructed intothe body or the lid of the container. Usually, this valve relied upon aknob which was engageable by the user to obtain this mechanicalactuation. As a simple example, a knob could be rotated in one directionto open the valve and rotated in an opposite direction to close thevalve. This allowed for pressure equalization in the event that thecontainer was moved from one ambient atmospheric condition to another.

[0022] One of the main problems with these prior art containers is thatbreakage of the valve before the same was shifted to an opened conditioncould preclude the actual opening of the lid on the container becausethe overall pressure on the inside as a result of pressure differentialwas too great to allow for manual opening of the lid. As also indicated,previously, failure of the user to remember to close valve could resultin serious damage to the contents of the case if the case wereintroduced into water or a similar environment.

[0023] The present invention obviates these and similar problems by theuse of the automatically actuable valve, as aforesaid. In this case, theautomatically actuable valve is actuated by moving one or morecomponents on the carrying case itself. Thus, and in a preferredembodiment, an opening is formed in a sidewall of either the base or thelid and thereby provides communication between the interior of thecarrying case and the external ambient atmosphere.

[0024] In a more preferred embodiment, that opening can be closed uponmovement of some moveable member forming a part of the carrying case. Asa simple example, closing of a lid or a latch can cause a memberassociated with that lid or latch to extend over the opening and therebycompletely seal the same. In still a more preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, one of the latches on the carrying case of theinvention is provided with a protrusion which extends over and abutsagainst the exterior surface of that opening to thereby constitute aseal for that valve opening. Thus, if the latch is shifted to the lockedposition on the carrying case, the protrusion will extend over theopening and thereby completely seal the same.

[0025] If there were a pressure differential across the carrying casewhich precluded an opening of the carrying case, the mere release of thelatch will cause a venting and allow the pressure in the carrying caseto equalize with the external ambient atmospheric pressure.

[0026] In another embodiment of the invention, a movable portion of thecarrying case, as for example, one or both of the latches, is providedwith a protrusion which extends into the opening. For this purpose, theopening can be provided with a grommet or the protrusion could beprovided with a cylindrical sealing means, if desired.

[0027] This invention possesses many other advantages and has otherpurposes which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration ofthe forms in which they may be embodied. These forms are shown in thedrawings forming a part of and accompanying the present specification.They will not be described in detail for purposes of illustrating thegeneral principles of the invention, but it is to be understood thatsuch detailed description and accompanying drawings are not to be takenin a limiting sense.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Having thus described the invention in general terms, referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0029]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art case having a valvemeans for equalizing pressure with respect to an ambient condition;

[0030]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air sealable case in accordancewith the present invention and having the automatically actuablepressure equalizing valve therein;

[0031]FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 2, and showing a lidforming a part of the container of FIG. 2 in an opened condition;

[0032]FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing a lockinglatch on a container lid in an opened condition;

[0033]FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG.5, except that it shows the locking latch in a closed position;

[0034]FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modified formof container in accordance with the present invention;

[0035]FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, similar to FIG. 7,and showing a modified form of locking latch in an opened condition; and

[0036]FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 8 and showingthe locking latch in a fully locked position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PRACTICAL EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to thedrawings which illustrate practical embodiments of the presentinvention, P designates a typical prior art fluid sealed container 10,having a base 12 along with a lid 14 hingedly mounted thereon throughconventional hinges 16. The carrying case may be conventionally providedwith a handle 18 for grasping by the hands of the user. Moreover, thelid 10 is capable of being locked to the base in a fluid sealedcondition, through the use of latches 20, all as best shown in FIG. 1.

[0038] The prior art containers which were fluid sealed typicallyincluded some valve to allow for pressure equalization between theinterior of the container and the ambient atmosphere. In this case, aconventional pressure type relief valve 22 was provided. This pressurerelief valve could be of relatively simple construction and frequentlyrelied upon a screw which was partially unthreaded from an openingthrough the containing wall, thereby allowing for air passage into theinterior of the container. The screw was provided with a knob, as shownin FIG. 1, for manual engagement by a user.

[0039] However, as indicated previously, the user of the container caseoftentimes overlooked the need for sealing the container and there wasno means on the knob to indicate whether or not the valve was opened orclosed.

[0040] The present invention provides a container 30 having a containerbase 32 and a lid 34 hingedly mounted thereon by means of hinges (notshown). The carrying case is also provided with a handle 38 on thecontainer base and locking latches 40 associated with the lid, andmounted therein through latch pins 41, as hereinafter described in moredetail. When the lid is in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 2 forexample, an interior compartment 42 (seen in FIG. 3) is air sealed. Thebase 32 may also be provided with a peripheral upwardly struckprotrusion 46 which extends into a peripheral groove 7 on the lid tofurther provide an effective locking seal.

[0041] The container lid 34 is provided with two pairs of spaced apartribs 44 and 46 which extend from the front side of the container to therear side thereof. These ribs are designed to not only provide furtherstructural integrity, but they also serve as a means to mount each ofthe latches 40, also as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings.Thus, it can be seen that one latch 40 on one side of the container ismounted on one pair of ribs 44 and the other latch 40 is mounted on theopposite pair of ribs 46.

[0042] Each latch 40 cooperates with a locking tab 48 on the exterior ofthe base and which exists in the form of an outwardly extendingperipheral flange 50. Thus, each latch 40 is provided with an inwardlystruck tab 52 which faces external wall of the container base, and isengaged on the underside of each locking tab 48. Moreover, by pressingthe latch against the locking tab 48, the flange 52 becomes retentivelylocked thereunder to create a fluid tight seal between the lid and thecontainer base. Moreover, and for this purpose, a thumb engagingextension 54 may also be formed on the latch 40, in the manner as shownin FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

[0043] A pressure equalizing valve arrangement is also constructeddirectly into the container itself. In this case, an opening 56 formingpart of a pressure equalizing valve 58 is provided and communicates withthe interior of the container in the manner as best shown in FIGS. 5 and6 of the drawings. In this case, the opening 56, if desired, could beprovided with a grommet or similar sealing material 60. At least one ofthe latches 40 is provided with an inwardly struck protrusion 62 whichis adapted to extend over the front face of the opening 56. Thus, whenthe latch 40 is moved to the locked position as shown in FIG. 6, it canbe observed that the protrusion 62 fits over the front face of theopening 56 and thereby completely seals the same. Inasmuch as there is atight locking pressure created by the inwardly struck tab 52 engagingthe locking flange 48, there is a fluid tight seal created between theface of the protrusion 62 and the opening 56.

[0044] This type of valve mechanism, although simple in itsconstruction, has been found to be not only quite reliable, but veryeffective in maintaining a sealing pressure against the opening, andthereby maintains a complete air tight seal in the interior chamber 42.Thus, this device has proved to be effective, capable of being producedat a low cost, and is highly reliable in operation.

[0045] FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a modified form of container 66 inaccordance with the present invention. The container 66 uses commonparts to the container 30 and therefore, like components forming part ofthe container 30 as found in the container 66 will have the samereference numbers.

[0046] The container 66 comprises a latch 40, similar to the latchillustrated in FIGS. 2-6 of the drawings. However, in this case, asopposed to a protrusion 62 which bears against the outece of the frontwall of the container and extending over the opening 56, the latch 40includes an elongate round protrusion 68 which literally fits within theopening 56. In this case, the protrusion 68 may also be provided with acylindrically shaped sealing sheath 70 on its exterior face. Thus, whenthe exterior sheath 70 bears against the wall of the opening 56, a fluidtight seal is created therebetween.

[0047] The valve mechanism as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 hasalso proved to be effective in providing a fluid tight seal and therebyoperates as an effective valve arrangement.

[0048] The container and the various components thereof may be formed ofany of a number of known plastic materials. Thus, the container may beconveniently molded in a thermoforming operation, blow molding,injection molding, or the like. Any of a number of suitable plasticmaterials may be usable for this purpose including, for example,polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. In addition, and for that matter, thecontainer could also be formed of reinforced plastic compositematerials, such as fiberglass-epoxy resin combinations. Also, and inlike manner, the container could be formed of metal materials. However,for purposes of creating the automatically actuable valve, some type ofsealing material may be necessary if the protrusion 62, or for thatmatter, the protrusion 68 is to create a fluid tight seal.

[0049] Thus, there has been illustrated and described a unique and novelair sealable container with an automatically actuable pressureequalizing valve and which thereby fulfills all of the objects andadvantages which have been sought therefore. It should be understoodthat many changes, modifications, variations and other uses andapplications will become apparent to those skilled in the art afterconsidering this specification and the accompanying drawings. Therefore,any and all such changes, modifications, variations and other uses andapplications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of theinvention are deemed to be covered by the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent is: 1 A container capable of having an interior sealedwith respect to an ambient atmospheric condition and having a valvewhich is automatically actuable thereon, said container comprising: a) acontainer housing: b) openable cover means on said housing and which isopenable providing access to an interior compartment; c) locking meansfor holding said cover means in a closed position with respect to saidcontainer housing and enabling a seal of the interior compartment; andd) valve means associated with said cover means or locking means andbeing actuable in response to an action of opening or closing the covermeans or locking same. 2 The container of claim 1 further characterizedin that said valve means is located to be actuated by locking of saidlocking means. 3 The container of claim 2 further characterized in thatsaid locking means comprises at least one locking latch and said valvemeans is located to be engaged and actuated by locking of said lockinglatch. 4 The container of claim 3 further characterized in that saidvalve means comprises a valve actuator located on said locking latch andcloses said valve when locked and moved to cause an opening of saidvalve means when said latch is unlocked. 5 The container of claim 4further characterized in that said actuator comprises a projection onsaid latch. 6 The container of claim 5 further characterized in thatsaid valve means comprises an opening in said container and which isengaged by said projection when said locking latch is locked. 7 Thecontainer of claim 6 further characterized in that said projection has aface which extends over and covers said opening in sealing contacttherewith. 8 The container of claim 6 further characterized in that saidprojection extends into said opening in sealing contact therewith. 9 Acontainer capable of having an interior compartment sealed with respectto an ambient atmospheric condition and for equalizing pressureconditions in a different ambient atmosphere, an improvement comprising:a) an opening on a housing of the container between said housinginterior compartment and an external atmosphere; b) locking means forholding said housing in a closed position and enabling a seal of theinterior compartment; and c) valve projection means associated with saidlocking means and being actuable in response to an action of opening orclosing the locking means. 10 The improvement in the container of claim1 further characterized in that said valve projection means is locatedto extend with respect to and engage said opening when said lockingmeans is locked. 11 The container of claim 3 further characterized inthat a valve projection engages a face of said opening in sealingcontact therewith when said locking means is locked. 12 The container ofclaim 10 further characterized in that said projection has a face whichextends over and covers said opening in sealing contact therewith. 13The container of claim 10 further characterized in that said projectionextends into said opening in sealing contact therewith.